Kelly Clarkson: It 'Sucks' New Songs Were Leaked

Kelly Clarkson is speaking her mind again, this time about Internet leaks of four new pop songs she's been working on.

"The fact that people have heard music that's not ready yet sucks," the first American Idol winner, 25, tells Billboard of her Nashville-inspired tracks, "but I hope they like it."

Last week, the demos – "Close Your Eyes," "Ready," "One Day" and "With a Little Bit of Luck" – were posted on the music blog Pretty Much Amazing!, and their iffy sound quality reflected the fact that they're works in progress. As of Monday morning, all four were removed from the site.

"I write all the time," says the Breakaway Grammy winner, who recently wrapped up a successful 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour with Reba McEntire. "Lots of stuff not meant to ever be released, just working on ideas."

Fans Protested Leaks

Fans flocked to the Pretty Much Amazing! site when Clarkson's songs surfaced, some of them defending Clarkson's right to keep her work private. Others, such as one named, simply, "Rick," said, "They sound pretty damn good! Excited for this 'pop' album of hers."

One music critic from New York magazine's Culture Vulture was also impressed – sort of – with Clarkson's "With a Little Bit of Luck": "This track will need more than a little bit of luck to put Clarkson back on top of the charts (more like a million dollars' worth of production and engineering), but the melody's not bad. We like it."

Next up for Clarkson? Singing for Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to New York City on April 19.